Hi I'm Anne who suffered a stroke in March, my memory and concentration is affected but what I find hardest of all is the anxiety. I'm having ongoing meetings with the psychologist and I'm trying lavendar on my pillow. I am desperate for help and the coronavirus situation is making things a lot harder. How is everyone else dealing with this?
Relaxation techniques will reduce anxiety. If you can get hold of a disc you can listen without effort. I went to free relaxation classes but the virus has stopped that. I also bought a tinnitus relaxer but that's about £35. It plays babbling brook or crashing waves etc on top of white noise. I used it a lot when i was determined to get good sleep. The little machine can be set to stop playing after 30 minutes.
this wretched anxiety does ease. Mine manifested in terrible dreams and little sleep. But after many months it did get a lot better.
colin
Thank you it is awful and I'm aware that my blood pressure is going up, did your blood pressure go up too? I'll look out for relaxation discs. My sleep is disturbed with it too and I cry a lot because my emotions is affected.
I have had a history of high BP But after stroke my BP has been monitored and brought down to a better level. I have made a huge effort to get BP down, weight kept low and fitness as good as i can.
it is easy to become alarmed at BP levels, but it will fluctuate and we need to learn what our own bodies get up to.
Relaxation classes were a great help.
I take two medications for BP.
I also did group sessions of seated yoga and rhar was a huge benefit.
i found that good sleep was essential and i worked hard to get get good sleep.
Emotionality is a common aspect of stroke. I am male and i dont cry....well i do now ! This emotionality is impossible to ignore, so i found it best let the tears flow and also i learnt how to avoid upsetting myself. I still cant manage a funeral, but everything else has eased and i dont cry much now.
please be assured that emotionality is a by product of stroke and it will ease.
above all...smile. False, fake or forced smiles will do. At least four times a day. You will be amazed of the benefit.
be positive.
lots of us are here to support you.
Colin
It is good to talk to someone that has been through it. I'll have to try relaxation classes, but covid put a stop to that for you unfortunately. I don't know anything about yoga, I have arthritis in my neck and hips so that may be difficult for me?
I'll remember to do that - smile. Thank you I really appreciate your support and try to be positive.
kind regards
I dont do full yoga, I do yoga specific for those of us who are not fully mobile. Sometimes referred to as seated yoga. Finding sessions is quite hard. I just fell in to a brilliant class because the teaching yogi is brilliant. She practices in the Colchester/Suffolk borders.
She found some of my tendons etc that were not working and she gave me exercises just for me. The difference to me was huge.
Another thread is to look for counselling. Whether anyone is active, I have doubts. Your GP surgery might have info. Or village hall or town hall or local church.
I assume you have thought about going to your local stroke group/ Many are stroke association. Mine is a voluntary local group who cover the area where I live. The Stroke association do not cover my area. So much info comes from these places. And contacts with local physios etc.
This is so hard. Why are us SS put through this aggro ? We are the cinderellas.
I did enjoy rain yesterday. Its the first proper rain in ages.
Be positive
Smile a lot
You are not alone
Colin
Hi Anne,
I find my anxiety to be under control these days, ten years after my stroke, thanks to a combination of regular exercise, low dosage antidepressants and the original Cognitive Behavioural Therapy I had soon after my stroke. For the first two years after my stroke, I had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which was much harder to manage but it did diminish over time. The NHS have an excellent self-help resource called the Moodzone, which has audio guides:
https://www.forumhealthcentre.nhs.uk/your-health/moodzone-stress-anxiety-and-depression
Keep working with the medical professionals and they should get you to a good place mentally.
Take care now,
Damian
Colin
I'm just back from seeing my psychologist from the Stroke Assoc and my heads all over the place. I was replying to you and I hit the wrong button reported as offensive please forgive me I didn't mean to that.
Colin
I'm just back from seeing my psychologist from the Stroke Assoc and my heads all over the place. I was replying to you and I hit the wrong button reported as offensive please forgive me I didn't mean to that. I have since gone in and removed it. Please forgive me I am kicking myself. I find you very helpful and I wouldn't want to hurt your feelings.
I have also emailed my stroke guide and asked them to ignore it.
Please forgive me.
Anne
Damian
Thank you for sharing this information with it is very good of you.
It must have been very difficult to overcome.
Take good care of yourself
Anne
Forgiven.
this site is not easy.
computers are very hard for those of us with stroke damaged brains.
i am here for you .
colin
OK
Was your appointment helpful ?
Hi Anne-- First I should give a disclaimer and say that everyone is different and you should talk to your doctor before taking anything. Two things helped me with anxiety. The first is CBD oil. I heard about CBD oil from a nurse in the hospital. Doctors can't prescribe it yet as it hasn't gone through all testing, etc., but it really helped me. I got the ok from both my doctor and my cardiologist, and my doctor told me many of her patients use it. I use 20-40 mg with an eyedropper. I found it at Sprouts, and then later got it on the internet. My son gave me the name of the reputable site he gets it from . It is expensive, though. I felt better about taking something that was natural rather than chemical. I had been on so many other medications at the time. The second thing that helped is that I met with a pychologist for 2 or 3 months and she gave me some ideas I could use after I stopped seeing her. It was good to express all my fears to someone else. This forum would be good for you, as going through this scary experience alone only makes it worse. In time everything gets better, even the anxiety. I hardly ever use the CBD oil now, but I needed it most nights(when the anxiety got worse for me) to get to sleep. My prayers are with you, and hope you feel better soon. Jeanne
Thank you for your understanding, your right it's not easy.
That is so good of you and I thank you for that. And if there is anything I can do for you, please say.
My appointment went ok it's just my 4th time so she is still doing an assessment. So it's hard to say. I always come away exhausted. But she is kind. We talked a lot about what I did before the stroke and my family so it's early days.
I listened to waves crashing along the shore from an app about 7am which did help.
thank you
Anne
Dear Anne
i think you are brave and sensible. It is clearly hard going for you right now. But you make it for your appointments. This is so important. I am sure it will get easier over the forthcoming weeks.
The sounds of my little machine helped me so much. Now i sleep very well. My little machine awaits my next call.
Before stroke my wife and i would rent a sea front flat, often for three weeks in the year. The sound of the tide coming in or going out, was lovely. I think those holidays are the thing i miss most. I struggle with short journeys, so the three hour drive is out the question.
I also switched mattress. I had a very firm mattress and switched for a firm, pocket sprung mattress that was in our spare room. This not only gives me better sleep but is lighter when it comes to bed making.
I hope you are noting that i have a reasonable quality of life. Things do get better, i can promise you that.
keep smiling. Stay positive. Lots of us are here for you
colin
That is very helpful thank you. I will look into that.
Thank you for keeping me in your prayers, I will do the same for you.
Anne
Colin
I'm sorry to hear that you are no longer able to drive to the sea front flat, the waves is so relaxing.
Thanks for your reassurance it is comforting.
It is good to know that this forum is there for support.
Anne
Hi Anne. This is Jeanne again. I thought of this after I posted. Another thing I did was to be sure I cut all caffein out of my diet. I only had 1 cup of coffee a day, but I switched that cup to decaf. That had helped a smidge.
I suffer with anxiety a lotI find going shopping makes it worse My husband is always withme I cant go on my own because the stroke has made my head bad it is giddy inside and walking is difficult because of my balance I sometimes feel like I am drunk when I dont touch alcohol at all . I wish it would go away as I have suffered with it for a long time. I hope you soon feel better. Best wishes Norma.
Hi Jeanne, could you let me have the website that your son gave you. I'm pleased to hear of someone who has tried CBD oil. Someone suggested it to me a while ago but when I posted a question on here, I received some very negative comments, so it's good to hear another point of view. I have also tried to find a counsellor who specialises in treating stroke survivors but have been unable to find a Neuro Psychologist. I had 7 weeks counselling through 'Mind' lwhich helped at time. Glad to hear that it worked for you.
Regards Sue